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Saturday(4.18) morning: Gwanghwamun Gate in central Seoul, the main gate to Gyeongbok Palace, was firmly shut down since y'day afternoon...

Relatives of the victims, who were mostly students from Danwon High School in Ansan gathered on Thursday night at the Gwanghwamun Gate, where they staged an overnight rally...

“After countless attempts and struggles until the break of dawn, we are here at the Gwanghwamun Gate with a blanket,” Kim Young-oh, who lost his daughter Yu-min in the accident, said on a social networking service on Friday...(source: JoongAng Ilbo, 4.18)

Saturday(4.18) evening/night:

Related articles/reports you'll get here:
☞ 시민들과 만난 세월호 가족들 “24일 청와대로 가자” (민중의소리, 4.18)
☞ “세월호 참사, 박근혜는 퇴진하라”...광화문서 충돌 100명 연행 (참세상, 4.18)
☞ Full-Scale Police Crackdown to Suppress Sewol Protest (Rev. News, 4.18)
☞ Sewol families clash with riot police (K. Times, 4.19)
☞ Police to crack down on violent demonstrators (Yonhap, 4.19)
☞ Protesting Sewol kin end up at police station (JoongAng lbo, 4.20)

☞ Excessive violence by police at Sewol anniversary... (Hankyoreh, 4.20)

Here some more impressions, photographed by Min Kim Saturday night @Gwanghwamun...

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But only a couple of steps away... STATE OF EMERGENCY(!!): "Gwanghwamun Gate in central Seoul, the main gate to Gyeongbok Palace, was firmly shut down on Friday afternoon", JoongAng Ilbo reported last Sat.(the full article you can read here)...

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Last Thursday(4.16), the first Anniversary of "Sewol" ferry disaster: Memorial services were held in front Seoul City Hall from afternoon until late at night... 

Tens of thousands of people, supported by thousands of KCTU members, gathered to hold a candle light vigil and later they wanted to pay their respects at makeshift altars nearby Gwanghwamun(few hundred meters away from the City Hall). But they were blocked by about 10,000(according to the reactionary/bourgeois Chosun Ilbo, 4.17) riot cops...

...and later, despite the rally/demo was complete peacefully, the cops went wild cracy...

Related articles you'll get here:
☞ Sewol Anniversary Rally Faced Massive Police Repression (Rev. News, 4.16)
☞ Pres. Park frozen out by Sewol families... (Hankyoreh, 4.17)
☞ Clampdown against Sewol ferry anniversary protest an insult to the victims (AI, 4.17)

Here just some more impressions, photographed by Min Kim last Thursday night in central Seoul...

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KCTU Announces 'General Strike'... The Ruling Class Cries: "It's Illegal!!" 

Today's (bourgeois)Korea Times reported the following:

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the nation's second largest umbrella union with some 670,000 members, will begin a strike of indefinite duration on April 24 to protest the government's proposed reforms of the labor market.

The union said Monday that some 428,800 of its members participated in a vote from March 21 to April 8, to decide on whether to begin industrial action. Of them, 84.35 percent voted in favor of the strike.

Their key demand is to stop the government from implementing proposed reforms of the labor market, which they claim would favor companies at the expense of employees.

"The government continues to push ahead with reforming the labor market so that employers can fire workers and reduce their salaries easily," KCTU President Han Sang-gyun told reporters.

In a statement, the union called for the resignation of Labor Minister Lee Ki-kwon. It also urged the government to stop trying to cut pensions for public officials and raise Korea's minimum hourly wage to 10,000 won ($9.1) from the current 5,580 won.

The strike will continue for an indefinite period. The KCTU said it will hold a protest rally near Seoul Station on April 24. This is to be followed by four more gatherings on April 25, 27, 28 and 29.

In response, the Korea Employer's Federation (KEF), an interest group for employers, claimed the strike is illegal, saying their requests are not legitimate reason for strike action...(the full article you can read here)

KCTU's latest agit-prop video to promote the 'General Strike' among S.K. citizenry:

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No comment...

"Nearly a year has passed since the sinking of the ferry Sewol, but the nightmare continues..." (K. Times, 4.12)

Here you'll get an more detailed report(in Korean), incl. lots of pics...

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